Bitter Feud
by Icura
Summary: The Saotome and Tendo clans had been locked in a devastating war until a fragile peace was established with a fateful marriage contract. Ranma and Nabiki must now deal with treachery and deceit as well as the consequences of their actions.
1. Chapter 1

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Chapter 1: The Opening

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The rain did not wash away the suspicious glares that the two armies of martial artists directed at each from the rooftops surrounding the Tendo Dojo. Each side numbered roughly around a dozen fighters, dressed in a mixture of clothing that ranged from the standard white gi's to shaggy, ripped punk-style clothing to even expensive business apparels.

These martial artists were from rival schools that had fought against each other viciously for decades, laying to rest numerous foes from the opposing school. Each of the martial artists gathered here had known a family member or friend that was killed by the other side.

However, it had been sixteen years since the last battle was fought. Sixteen years since a marriage agreement was accidentally proposed between two young men from opposing clans. They had both went to the same bar separately and had gotten drunk. What made this meeting a miracle, however, was that these two men were from the main bloodline of their respective clans; a meeting that had an extremely low chance of ever occurring.

It was fate that they found each other in there and made the contract out of the spur of the moment, neither recognizing the other in their drunken stupor. And thus, out of this accidental agreement, a shaky peace was soon secured between the Tendo and Saotome clan out of the belief that this coincidental event was an act of the divine intervention.

This was the appointed day and they were here in order to protect the fated meeting, or at least, that is what they were supposed to be here for. And so here the members of the Saotome and Tendo clan stood, watching and waiting. If a fight were to break out, it wouldn't be like it was sixteen years ago when both sides knew the general abilities of the other clan.

While they had kept up their Intel gathering, there were a lot of new information that was closely guarded about the new fighters that both sides had gained and the new techniques that most of the veterans had probably learned during the peace. The first battle between these two clans would undoubtedly result in a massive bloodshed where many unknown abilities would be used for the first time in public. So it was with wary and deeply aware gazes that they watched the panda and the red-headed girl walk into the Tendo's home.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Genma stared at Soun from across the table as he placed a wet contract down before him. Their children were off somewhere in the other rooms or sparring in the dojo so there was no one to interrupt them at the moment. The rain, instead, kept them company, something that they were grateful for as it stopped their voices from traveling further than the room.

"This will finalize the peace between our clans," Genma said.

Soun nodded slowly. "I'm grateful for the peaceful years that this contract has given my children."

Genma hesitated before he slowly nodded in response.

"Please do not mention the feud to Akane. She does not know about the war," Soun said as he took a sip of his tea. "Nabiki and Kasumi saw their mother die from it, though I think that Nabiki was too young to remember. I would like the bloodshed to fade from all of their memories."

"Weak," Genma said. "Your children are weak, Tendo. Ranma has been raised on the strictest principles of battle while you coddle your children. If this marriage fails, you'll have been the cause."

Soun gritted his teeth. Even though he wanted to argue against Genma's logic, it was too foolproof in its simplicity. There was no way his daughters could fight if the war broke out again. However, his principles wouldn't allow that comment to stand as fact.

"My daughters are capable enough." Soun narrowed his eyes.

Genma ignored the subtle threat with a snort, but he did not push the issue further.

"Does Ranma know of the feud?"

Genma grunted. "He knows everything."

Soun nodded. "I see. However, once a child is born from this union, it will finalize the end of the war. There will be no need for them to know about this feud."

"Are you mad, Tendo?" Genma shook his head. "You think that you can keep the past a secret?"

Soun closed his wary eyes. "I don't see why not. My youngest daughter does not know, but she will soon. However, I don't want the Master's war to be known to my grandchild. My daughters have faced much hardship since their mother was killed. I do not want my grandchild to know this sordid history."

Genma crossed his arms. "So be it. I'll keep it hidden for now, Tendo."

Soun opened his eyes and bowed as low as he could from his kneeling position. "Thank you."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Ranma and Genma, soaking wet and slightly steaming from the boiling water, were seated on cushion across the table from the Tendo daughters, one of who had an irate look on her face. Soun nodded his head in satisfaction.

"That isn't so bad of a curse. Now you need to choose one of my daughters as your wife," Soun said cheerfully, wrapping an arm around Ranma while pointing at his daughters with his free hand.

"What?" The combined shrieks of his three daughters pounded into his eardrums, but Soun quickly silenced them with a glare. The girls, seeing this uncharacteristic seriousness of their normally weepy father, kept their mouths shut even though it was obvious that they weren't happy about it.

But Ranma had no reason to stay quiet. "Why do I have to get married?" he said, standing up in protest.

Genma grabbed the back of Ranma's shirt and pulled him down. "Shut up and sit down, boy."

Ranma was about to argue back when Soun cleared his throat. "You will be marrying into the Tendo family, Ranma Saotome," he said, stressing the last names.

Comprehension entered Ranma's eyes as he stopped struggling while Kasumi's paled at the announcement. Kasumi began shuddering, but she bit her lip to keep silent even though her eyes were conveying all her emotions to anyone that happened to be looking; not that anyone was, as they were focused on Soun.

Turning to his daughters, Soun said, "I know that you are confused. I have to explain some things, especially to you, Akane."

Taking a deep breath, Soun began his speech. "Generations ago, the Tendo and Saotome clans originated from the same Grandmaster, but only one clan could receive his inheritance. For that reason, a war began between the two clans that started a vicious chain of fighting and massacres.

"Our clans, once famous and powerful in their own rights, were reduced to a handful of families now. Sixteen years ago, a peace treaty was introduced by Genma and me, but not before your mother was taken from us."

"Then…then they are the ones who killed her?" Akane said as she pointed at the two Saotomes.

"Akane, calm down. It was not them, but one of their clan members."

Akane rose to her feet, her face twisted in fury. "So what? That still makes them responsible!" Nabiki and Kasumi were frozen into inaction as they remembered the events of their childhood while Ranma readied himself to leap away at a moment's notice.

Soun stepped in between Akane and Ranma. "Stop it! There are more important things at stake now."

"I can take them! They're just two weak boys."

Genma narrowed his eyes. "Weak?"

Soun shook his head. "Genma is not weak and his son will not be feeble as well, but it is not just them. Almost everyone from both clans is outside, watching this meeting from afar. Do you want to endanger your sisters as well?"

Though still angry, Akane relented and sat down. While she didn't mind fighting against them, she didn't want Kasumi or Nabiki to be caught in the crossfire.

"This marriage must happen," Soun said.

Ranma pursed his lips. Even though he had known about this marriage and the consequences of it since childhood, he was still overwhelmed by it. His fate had been determined before he was even a few days old. He wanted to rebel against it, but he knew that there were more at stake than simply his own life.

Kasumi slowly opened her mouth, summoning the courage to speak, but before more than a syllable could escape her, Nabiki spoke up. "I will do it."

"Nabiki!" Kasumi said. "You can't."

Nabiki put her hand on Kasumi's hand to stop the older girl's shaking. "You aren't the only one who remembers."

"Nabiki…" Kasumi bit her tongue to hold back the tears in her eyes.

Akane slammed her hands onto the table, cracking it, and pushed herself up. Her shoulders were shaking with unrestrained anger; her eyes were alight with fury at the two male interlopers.

"Why do we have to do this? Why can't the pervert go marry someone else?" Akane said.

"Know your place, girl," Genma said.

The youngest daughter growled in rage and lifted the table over her head, unmindful of the tea set that fell from the surface with their hot, liquid content. Genma looked on with a bored expression while stopping Ranma from getting up to dodge by placing a firm hand on the boy's shoulder. Akane brought the table down toward Genma with all the strength she could muster, but its flight was suddenly stopped before it could reach even a third towards its destination. She tried pushing her whole body into it, but it wouldn't budge.

"What?" Akane asked as she released the table and backed away. Soun had halted its progress with only a single outstretched palm. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the table flying over his two guests' head and into the backyard. The table shattered on impact with the ground, its polished wooden frame becoming wet with the rain. Akane fell down to her seat by Nabiki and stared bewilderingly at her father. This was something she had never seen before in all the years that he had been her father. What was going on?

Genma narrowed his eyes and growled menacingly. "This isn't what I expected."

"I'm sorry for my daughter's actions. Please forgive her."

"That's not what I'm angry about!" Genma growled. "When the contract was accepted by our clans, it was implied that this was a union between two powerful bloodlines and martial arts styles.

"But these…these_ daughters _of yours," Genma said, pointing at the three girls. "They're not trained in any of the arts. I had thought, at first, that it was a hidden style, but now I can see the truth of the matter. You simply want to steal the Saotome martial arts style from my son, who was born from generations of selective breeding in the Saotome clan. You didn't want us to find out about your martial arts style so you didn't teach them anything."

"Calm yourself, Saotome—"

"I will not!" Genma pounded his fist through the floor. "You dishonored the agreement. This contract is now void."

"Now wait just a second, Saotome! Do you want to end the contract so hastily without hearing me out?" Soun asked.

But Genma wasn't listening. "This is a grave insult. Prepare yourself, Tendo. You won't be getting out of this house alive."

Ranma leaped to his feet in front of Genma and spread his arms out to stop his father from going further. "Stop it, pop. Let's hear him out first."

"Get out of the way, boy."

"No, if you want to get to them. You gotta go through me first."

Genma considered pushing Ranma out of the way, but he glared at the boy instead and lowered his fist.

"I was going to say that each of my martial art's scrolls will be passed down to the couple when their first child is born." Still seeing the disapproving face on Genma, he quickly said, "But of course, Ranma can see some of the more basic scrolls when the engagement is finalized."

Ranma lowered his arms and smirked. "See Pops, what did I say? They aren't trying to trick you."

Genma's anger slowly faded as he sat down. "Maybe I was too hasty there." Soun sighed in relief while his daughters visibly relaxed.

Ranma laughed. "Maybe? You were gonna blow up, Pop. I might even have had to kick your ass to get you to stop."

"Shut up, boy, before I teach you a lesson you won't forget."

"That I won't forget? That's gonna have to be ten times harder than your usual."

Genma grabbed at Ranma's shirt, but Ranma flipped the grip and toss his father out into the courtyard. "That all you got, Pop?" Ranma said as he followed after his father.

Soun and his daughters watched the spar from the safety of their house. "Are we going to be alright?" Nabiki asked.

Soun bit his lip. "Nabiki, let's make some tea for our guests."

Nabiki turned her attention away from the fight. "Hm? Can't Kasumi do it?"

"Just come and help me." Soun rose to his feet and walked towards the kitchen as Nabiki trailed behind him.

Once within the confines of the kitchen, far enough so that Kasumi and Akane wouldn't be able to hear, Nabiki asked, "So what's the real reason you called me here?"

"This is about your marriage to Saotome's son."

Nabiki slowly nodded.

Soun placed his hands firmly on Nabiki's shoulders. "It must succeed, no matter the cost. Your mother would have wanted you to live a peaceful life."

Nabiki bit her lip to keep back the memories. "Don't talk about her."

"Nabiki, This is very important."

"I know. But what if they back out of the marriage? Can't they just cancel the contract?"

Soun shook his head. "They can't. It is an honor-bound agreement. To do so would be to have both of them commit seppuku in order to regain their family's honor." He took the kettle and began pouring tap water into it. "What I am worried about is sabotage from someone else. Be very careful."

Nabiki nodded. "I will, daddy."

"Now, let's boil some water. Afterward, I'll need you to show them to the guest room."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"I'll leave you two to get used to your room." Nabiki stepped out of the guest room and slid the door shut, leaving the two Saotomes in the relatively sparse guest room. There were two futons spread out in the middle of the room.

"It'll be good to sleep in a room again," Ranma said as he walked over to the futon and poked it with his toe. "Not bad. It's pretty soft."

Genma grunted. "It better not make you soft, boy."

Ranma waved it off. "Yeah, yeah." He stopped when he noticed the look on his father's face. "What's up?"

"The Tendos have given us a way out of this marriage agreement. If you find any chance to steal all of the scrolls, do it. If we have them, there's no more need for this charade."

Ranma's eyes widened. "But what about the war?"

"If his daughters are any indication, their clan has grown weak and feeble. We can easily destroy them once and for all."

"But pop, if we could do that, why bother with the scrolls then?"

"You dolt! They contain the Tendo clan's most important secret techniques, created from decades of warfare. They're as irreplaceable as our own techniques. Once we have them, the Tendo clan will be rendered powerless."

"Then there will be less causalities," Ranma said thoughtfully. "So all we have to do is find it, right?"

"It's not that easy. The cache is hidden so even if we destroy the Tendos, we may never find it by ourselves. They must be retrieved, one way or another."

Ranma nodded, though he still looked unsure about it. "But then, what about Nabiki?"

"If you want to get out of the marriage, boy, then find the scrolls." With that said, Genma released Ranma's arm and walked over to his to his bedroll. He fell asleep the moment that he fell on his bedding without waiting for a response.

Ranma stood where he was with the words that he had wanted to say caught in his throat. "I meant that if we find the scrolls, we don't have to kill them, right?" Without any answers forthcoming from his slumbering father, he blankly stared out through the open window at the moon. On this night, it seemed just a little bit sadder than usual.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Nabiki slumped against the doorway of the guestroom. She had overheard everything. Her father was right.

It had taken a considerable amount of effort to hide her ki signature, but after hearing all of that, she knew that it was worth it. Soun didn't teach her how to fight, something that she really didn't mind until now, but if there was one thing that her father had taught her, it was how to run and hide.

Nabiki licked her dry lips as her mind processed the information. She had thought that she might be able to trust Ranma since he did stop his father earlier, but now, she knew that was mistaken assumption. It was probably more optimistic than reality but to have it shattered so quickly in front of her hurt her more than she thought it would. There were only two things that she could trust, and that was her family and cold, hard yen.

But that wasn't going to help her here. She was not delusional enough to think that her family would be able to survive or even escape the conflict if the marriage fails. Even if they ran, they would be hunted down and killed, especially since the scrolls seemed to be in her father's possession. The only way to survive this was to make sure the marriage succeeded.

Nabiki played with the fabric of her shirt, her despair clearly written all over her face. Now, a time limit has presented itself. If Ranma finds the scrolls, that was it. The end. But she knew her father wouldn't be so careless. The first time he retrieves a scroll from the cache for Ranma would be during the wedding, as a present for their union like he promised earlier. That is the most opportune time for them to strike and find out where the secret cache is.

So she knew that she had to quicken the contract to its finale. She would have to seduce him and become pregnant before the wedding. It was the only way to ensure that the Saotomes do not betray them. With the pregnancy, even if they find the scrolls, the contract could not be broken.

She was the Ice Queen of Furinkan High, but now, she would be reduced to a slut. That realization made her want to cry.

Nabiki couldn't fight physically, so she would fit with everything she had. She had to make sure that her family survives.

She bit down so hard on her lower lip that it started bleeding as tears flowed freely down her cheeks.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

As the night wore on, the rain continued to pour down upon the soaked rooftop martial artists. Several of the martial artists looked down at their watches as the clock hands struck midnight. The contract had been finalized by now, so their presence was unnecessary now. They had jobs and family to return, lives to resume, but as they were about to leave, a powerful aura made itself known.

Several of the martial artists gasped as they recognized the diminutive form walking calmly across a rooftop, unmindful of the unease that his aura was causing. A small trail of smoke emanated from the pipe in his hand, unaffected by the storm.

Happosai brought the pipe to his lips and took a puff. On closer inspection, one could see that the raindrops were bouncing off a small ki barrier over the pipe, but so skillful was its application that it was barely visible. In fact, his entire body was dry as if it were a sunny day instead of a stormy night. Around his entire diminutive body was an invisible barrier that only created tiny waves when the raindrops came into contact with it like a rock thrown into a lake. Reaching the edge of the rooftop, he tipped over his pipe, dumping the tobacco into the streets below as the mass of martial artists watched him with fear and reverence.

"Are you really going to throw away the prize for peace?" Happosai asked curiously, smiling all the while.

Several of the Tendo and Saotome martial artists began shaking uncontrollably, though they restrained their emotions.

Happosai smirked. "I thought so. I have lived a very long time and have seen this war played out on the battlefield countless times, but this is the first time that a peace treaty was even tried. Unlike before, there are only few of you left."

Happosai wagged his finger. "This war won't be so easily abandoned. The one who wins the war will gain everything. My inheritance. That is much too great a prize for anyone to foolishly think the war can be ended with a simple peace treaty."

One of the Tendo martial artists, a man dressed in a business suit, threw his umbrella at Happosai. It spiraled towards him at high speed, making a path through the rain.

The ancient and wizened man smirked and reached out his hand. His purple aura visibly spread forth, surrounding and stopping the umbrella mid-air. Rain flowed around the aura as if it were tangible, unable to pierce its solidness.

"Tsk, tsk, if that had hit something, we would have attracted unnecessary attention," Happosai said, closing his hand. The aura tightened, shattering the umbrella into several pieces. Spreading open his hand, the umbrella dropped from the aura to the depths below. Only few people were able to manifest ki into a form outside their body, but Happosai was the only one who was able to use it to this extent. If it weren't for him, this kind of thing would have been thought to be completely impossible. It was for this reason that he was universally feared and firmly secured in his position as the original founder of both clans and their respective martial arts style.

The Tendo businessman gritted his teeth. "You speak as if we're all still going to be fighting. The war is over!"

"If you think so." Happosai laughed. " But I think that this war must have a proper ending. Even if you guarantee this peace, the fighting will continue. There will always be lingering fears that you will assassinated when you least expect it. Every accident will be blamed on the other clan. For the rest of your lives, you will be suspicious of one another. Can you really live with that?"

The gathered martial artists fell silent as the rain overtook even the sound of their own heartbeats.

"Think carefully. The war will now be fought in secrecy and with treachery. Your honor may be forsaken in the coming fights if you go along with this fake peace, because the prize will always be there for the winner." Happosai began to walk away to the other side of the rooftop. "Greed is what started this war, but fear is what will end it." He jumped off of the edge and dropped down to the streets below, disappearing into the darkness of the storm.


	2. Chapter 2

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Chapter 2: Mansion

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Genma stood beside a particularly fat man with a beard as he pushed five year old Ranma towards a young girl around his age who was dressed in a green, flowery kimono. "Greet your new fiancée, boy."

Midori shyly smiled and reached out a hand. "Hello."

Ranma took her hand into his own and smiled back. "Want to play?"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Ranma wrapped his arms around the crying girl's neck from behind. He bit his lip to restrain his emotions when the girl buried her face into his arm. The tears felt unbearably hot against his skin.

Genma watched impatiently, his foot tapping rhythmically against the blood-stained floor. Corpses laid scattered around the room, their limbs twisted into the resemblance of a grotesque theater of puppets.

Like the ticking of a clock, Ranma could feel his father's tapping sandal forcing him to tighten his arm around the girl. He slowly closed his eyes, lingering dully on the touch of the shaking body that was pressed against him.

And pulled his arm to the side as a loud crack resounded through the room.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Ranma's eyes stared listlessly at the ceiling. It was morning, but for the moment, however, he wondered if this was still a dream. He pushed himself up to a sitting position, half expecting his shirt to be soaked in sweat, but the fabric was dry.

The pigtailed boy brushed a hand through his hair. Maybe he was getting used to the dreams.

At the time, he had accepted the reason without any more doubts or objections. It was to prepare him for the future, but that felt so far away that it seemed like it was simply beyond his control. So he did it again and again and again until he stopped caring and it became simply routine, but he didn't want to dwell on it.

He didn't want to remember about how he disposed of their remains.

Ranma pushed himself up and stretched his arms to the side. He was young at the time and didn't know better, but the guilt still racked his mind. However, he knew that if his father commanded it, he would do it again. It wasn't a question about choices and morality; it was more about loyalty and honor to the clan. There was more at stake here than just himself.

He stared down at his palm. In his hand, he could still feel the wooden grasp of a cleaver.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"I have to what?" Ranma gawked incredulously at the backpack that his father was holding in middle of the living room.

"You're going to school, boy," Genma said.

"No way. Uh-uh. I ain't going to school."

Genma roughly shoved the backpack onto Ranma's chest. "You're going."

Ranma tossed it back. "Why do I have to?"

Nabiki came from behind Genma and plucked the backpack out of the older martial artist's arms. "If you have to ask, Ranma, then you need to go." Before Ranma could respond, Nabiki grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the door. "Come on, I want to get there early."

"But…but…"

"Wait." Nabiki stopped and pointed at Ranma's clothes. "You're planning to go to school wearing that?"

Ranma looked down at his red silk shirt and black kung-fu pants. "What's wrong with this?"

"Everything. We have a uniform system at Furinkan High."

"But it's easier to fight in this."

Nabiki shook her head. "Not going to happen. Now get changed."

"But I don't got a uniform."

Nabiki glanced over at Genma, but the older man simply shrugged his shoulders. She groaned.

"Then come on, I will get you one at the school," she said, tugging Ranma along as the boy halfheartedly muttered out last-ditch excuses.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Nabiki leaned her head onto Ranma's shoulder as they walked towards the school. Ranma blinked in confusion and glanced curiously at her.

"You sick or something?"

"Are you acting dense or were you born this way?"

"Hey! I'm not dense."

Nabiki sighed. "Then, is this obvious enough for you?" She grabbed his arm and hugged it to her chest.

"Y-You shouldn't be doing that!" Even though Ranma was saying that, it was obvious from his stuttering and blushing that he was embarrassed.

Nabiki grinned mischievously. "Oh? Why not?"

"Because it's…it's…" Ranma racked his head for an answer.

"It's what?"

"I-It's perverted."

"Oh, how cute." Nabiki hugged Ranma's arm closer to her. "But you're my fiancé. We're going to have to do more perverted things when we're married."

"M-More perverted?"

"Much. More. Perverted," Nabiki said slowly, emphasizing each word by squeezing Ranma's arm. "Maybe even before the marriage."

Ranma gulped and nervously looked away.

Seeing the sudden tension, Nabiki thought that maybe she had gone a little too far. "Don't worry about it. If that ever happens, it'll be a long time from now."

"Yeah," Ranma said, though he couldn't hide some of the disappointment in his voice. "I guess."

"But you know, you would look better if you go get a haircut. Shorter hair would look great on you."

Ranma shook his head. "Nah, I don't want to."

"Why not?"

"Just saying it doesn't look as good as long hair." As if to emphasize his point, Ranma swung his pigtail with a slight turn of his head.

Nabiki's eyes narrowed. "So my hair doesn't look good?"

"Yeah. No, wait, I meant—"

Before she could stop herself, Nabiki pushed Ranma into the canal, changing the black-haired boy into a busty red-headed girl. Ranma-chan spat out some of the water from the canal that had gotten into her mouth.

"Whadda do that for?"

"It was a…reflex," Nabiki said with a shrug of her shoulders. "I guess we better get you that new uniform; one that is more dry than what you're wearing."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

By the time that Ranma-chan and Nabiki had arrived at school, it was still pretty early in the morning. When they entered the school, some of the students that were already there visibly gawked at the red-head's soaked clothes and large bust, but they quickly backed off when Nabiki gave them a cold look. They had reached the nurse's office with relatively little interruption.

"Hot! It doesn't need to be that hot." Steam was visible rising from Ranma's head as he sat on the bed.

"Stop complaining. At least you're male now. And here, I got you some clothing," Nabiki said as she put down the kettle and brought out a folded set of clothing that was still wrapped in plastic.

Ranma slowly took the package, but grimaced at what he saw. It was the school's uniform.

"Do I have to wear this?"

Nabiki frowned. "We talked about this earlier."

"Yeah, but…" Ranma paused. "What's that sound?" When Nabiki turned, he hid the package behind him on the bed.

She walked over to the window. "It's just my sister beating up Tatewaki Kuno and his followers again."

"Who's that?" Ranma came over to her side and looked down on the fight between Akane and Kuno.

"I'll tell you about him later."

"Shouldn't we help her?"

"She can handle it herself."

After watching for a few moments, Ranma whistled. "He's going easy on her."

Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"He's not attacking the weaknesses that I would."

Nabiki pressed a finger against Ranma's forehead and pushed. "Maybe he's just not as good enough as you."

"That's not the point." Ranma psuhedpushed away Nabiki's hand. "What's this about?"

"At the beginning of the year, Kuno announced that anyone who wants to date Akane has to defeat her. So every morning, they all gather to try to beat her, though they never win."

"That's…weird." Ranma scratched his head. There was really nothing he could say about it.

"Don't worry about it. It isn't your problem."

An idea popped into Ranma's head. "But I can get them to stop."

"Don't."

Ranma deflated a bit. "Huh? Why not?"

"You'll just make things worse."

"Hey!"

Nabiki patted Ranma's head. "It's okay."

Ranma pushed off her hand again. "They can't beat me. I can handle them."

"It's not a matter of that. If you start interfering in things, it'll bring me more trouble."

"But…"

"No 'buts', Ranma. If my sister wants your help, she'll tell you, though I think she's too stubborn to ask for it."

Ranma grunted noncommittally. "Alright." However, when he noticed that the package on the bed was within her line of sight, panic set in. "Well, I got to get to class. See you later!" Before Nabiki could respond, Ranma sped out of the room.

Nabiki stared at Ranma's prompt escape for a few moments before her eyes fell upon the object that Ranma threw. On the bed was the school uniform, still neatly folded in its plastic package. She burst out laughing as she leaned back against the window pane.

So that was the reason Ranma left. Nabiki knew that he didn't even know where his classroom so his quick escape would actually make him late. She kept laughing to herself, but once the humor faded, she, she remembered the dire predicament that she was in.

Nabiki slowly filled her lungs with air, letting the chill that ran through her mouth calm her down. She needed to remain cool and collected for her plan to succeed. There was no room for error.

"What are you doing, doubting yourself now of all times, Nabiki?" She slapped her hands against her cheeks. This was something that she had to do.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Kuno-baby, I have a favor to ask you."

Tatewaki Kuno, sporting a black eye, turned his head up to stare at Nabiki from his desk in the classroom. "Hm?"

"Don't look at me like that. If you help me out, then you will be able to meet Akane inside your home."

Kuno's eyes widened as steam seemed to flow endlessly out of his ears. "How shall I be of service?"

"Write exactly what I say. I, Tatewaki Kuno…"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"…the dishonorable cur, have kidnapped your beautiful and smart fiancée. If you want her back, bring Akane Tendo with you to the…the…what does that say?" Ranma asked.

"Give me that!" Akane snatched the card out of his hand. After taking a look at it, she blinked. It was actually unreadable. Oh wait, Kuno just spelled the word wrong.

"Mansion," Akane said in a deadpan voice before she crumpled up the note. "Oooh, when I get my hands on him…"

Ranma waited for Akane to continue, but when it was clear that she wasn't going to say anything more, he asked, "When you get your hands on him, what're you gonna do?"

"Shut up, idiot. Let's just go."

"No, really, what're you going to do?"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Kuno, I really think you should give up now," Ranma said while he had his finger pressed on the intercom button on the gate outside the Kuno mansion. Several cameras stationed above the intercom were focused in on them.

"Why should I, the great Tatewaki Kuno, admit defeat? Such a profane reality shall never come to pass!" Kuno's voice through the intercom was slightly muffled by the electric edge of some static.

"Because Akane plans to do something that seems really, really painful—"

"I welcome any challenge from my beauteous goddess!"

"—to men."

"Maybe I was a bit too hasty—" The intercom buzzed out.

A few tense moments of silence passed before a female voice came through the intercom. "Hohohohohoho. Like that kind of threat would scare me."

"Kuno…?"

"Yes, this is Kuno."

"But your voice…did you get cursed?"

"Why yes, I was bewitched by your gorgeous complexion, my darling prince. Hohohohohoho."

"Uh, not saying you got bad tastes, but don't you like Akane?"

"Why would I like that pheasant woman?"

Ranma released the button and turned to a seething Akane. "He's gay?"

Akane slapped the back of Ranma's head. "Idiot! That's someone else."

"Ow, that hurts, you dumb tomboy." Ranma rubbed the back of his head and shifted out of the way of Akane's retaliatory slap before pressing the intercom button. "Where did that Kuno guy go?"

"My brother? He's preoccupied at the moment." The gates swung open. "Do come in and enjoy yourself, my prince, but the harlot's not welcome."

"Who're you calling a harlot?"

"My darling prince, you should put a lease on that rabid vagrant before she makes a mess all over my gardens." Ranma hastily pulled back his hand as Akane shattered the intercom with her fist. A small shower of sparks flowed out of the now destroyed intercom.

"Uh, Akane, you okay?"

"Shut up, Ranma."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Did you really have to put him to sleep? We're going to need him awake later." Nabiki poked Kuno's ribs with the tip of her shoe. Kuno was lying down, snoring, inside the security room. The walls were lined with monitors that had at least one camera focused on Ranma and Akane's progression at all times as the pair made their way across the Kuno estate.

"It's of no consequence." Kodachi spun around in her office chair to face Nabiki. "The smelling salt is in the second drawer in the desk by the door."

Nabiki nodded and took a small jar out of the desk. "You know that Ranma is mine, right?"

"I am fairly aware. Even as handsome as he is, I'll let him slip through my elegant fingers if you're so kind as to keep your end of our most tantalizing bargain."

"I already have the perfect plan for you get that date. Are you sure you don't want me to get you more than one date with him?"

"One date is all that I need. Hohohohohohoho."

Nabiki raised an eyebrow, but soon just shrugged her shoulders. It wasn't her problem.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Tatewaki Kuno groggily rubbed his forehead as he took a sip from a cup of coffee. He should have been used to his sister's drugs by now, but the aftereffects still left him with a dull pain in his head as if someone had been playing drums in his skull. He sat down in the chair, laying his bokken on the dining room table. It should take a while for the two to navigate the maze-like mansion so there was some time to spare. He slid on his square-rimmed glasses and unfolded the newspaper.

Hm, the stocks were down for his pharmaceutical company.

"Kuno…?"

Kuno raised his head and lowered his newspaper. Standing in the doorway was his beloved tigress, Akane Tendo, and Nabiki's boy toy, some guy named Roma or something. He threw the newspaper and his cup behind him, ignoring the shattering sounds of porcelain and the strong scent of spilled coffee. He quickly took off his glasses and shoved them into his hakama pocket.

"Ah ha! I have been expecting you, cur!" Kuno picked up and pointed his bokken threateningly at Ranma.

"Well…you did write that letter," Ranma said, raising an eyebrow.

"Enough babbling, you mangy dog! Akane Tendo is mine. Release her to me from her confines and I shall allow Nabiki be returned to you."

Ranma glanced at Akane questioningly. Akane was composed enough when she heard Kuno's demand, but when Ranma looked over at her, as if their answer wasn't already obvious, she snapped. Her expression darkened and as she slowly raised her trembling yet tightly coiled fist. However, that was enough to clue Ranma in.

"Ah, right." Ranma turned back to Kuno. "No way, Kuno. I'll just beat you up and take Nabiki back."

"If thou can defeat me, then go to the Stage Theater room. There, you will find the girl. However…" Kuno laughed and spread out his arms. "Ancestors, empowered me with thou might that I may rend this insolent animal limb from limb!" As if in response, the furniture and paintings about the room began to shake.

Ranma and Akane looked at the phenomena with a growing sense of unease.

"See! I am Tatewaki Kuno, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, but here, I am lord and master. In this domain, I cannot be defeated!"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Up above the ceiling, the ninja servant Sasuke struggled to keep up the jerky, seizure-like movements. Attached to his fingers, toes, wrists, and ankles were numerous thin yet strong strings that were connected to the furniture in the dining room below.

"I…can't keep this up. I wonder how long Master Kuno wants me to do this…"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Ranma, go rescue my sister," Akane said, pushing Ranma towards the door with one hand.

"But what about Kuno?"

"I'll take care of Kuno. I beat him every morning." Akane shoved him again. "Now go."

For a second, Ranma was about to say that Kuno always went easy on her, but then he recalled what Nabiki said about her sister. It might, in fact, be better for her to fight Kuno since he always went easy on her.

"Alright, don't lose." With that said, Ranma swiftly left the room.

"I won't." Akane turned her attention back to Kuno.

"Ah, beautiful Akane, today will be the day that I defeat you and ask you out," Kuno said joyfully as he raised his bokken amidst the chattering of the shaking furniture.

"In your dreams!" Akane rushed forward, raising her fist.

Unknown to everyone that was in the room, Kodachi was clinging tightly to the ceiling above the doorway with a mallet held behind her back.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

By that time that Ranma reached the Stage Theater room, he was almost out of breath. It had taken nearly an hour of endless searching just to find this room. He had even thought to go back and beat the location out of Kuno, but he couldn't find the dining room again no matter which way he went. However, his efforts had finally paid off. Inside the room, it was almost completely dark with only one source of illumination: a floodlight directed at the stage from the ceiling. The area that he stood in would have been the back of the audience, but there were no chairs for anyone to sit in.

"Welcome Ranma-sama. I hope it wasn't too hard to get here," Kodachi said as she stood on top of the stage in the midst of the floodlight. "I am the beautiful Kodachi Kuno, the Black Rose, from St. Bacchus's school for girls."

"Where's Nabiki?"

"Right here." Two more floodlights appeared, showing Akane and Nabiki dangling from ribbons to the far left and far right of Kodachi. While their arms and legs weren't bound, they still couldn't seem to free themselves from the cord that was tied around their waist even thought Akane was prying at it with all her strength. Underneath them was a large hole in the stage that led directly into a pool of water.

Ranma blinked. "Akane too? Did you lose?"

Akane turned red and fumed. "No, I didn't! That hussy attacked me from behind after I beat Kuno."

"Ah." Ranma nodded his head in understanding and turned his attention back to Kodachi. "Let 'em go."

"You will have to forgive me if I don't comply," Kodachi said, bringing up two fingers. "You have two choices, Ranma-sama. You must choose one of these filthy girls to save. The other will fall into the water and I have to warn you that my pet, Mr. Turtle, is very hungry since he didn't have any food today."

"Pfffff, a turtle? That's easy."

"I can assure you that he is a most ferocious creature." As if to accentuate her point, the snout of a giant crocodile pushed through the open circle, breaking the carefully defined edges on the wood as it opened and closed its mouth repeatedly. After a few futile attempts to reach the hanging Akane, it dived back into the water.

A drop of sweat formed on the side of Ranma's head. "That's not a turtle."

"What nonsense are you spouting, dear?"

Ranma stared blankly at Kodachi. "That's a water snapping thing."

This time, it was Kodachi's turn to stare blankly at him. "Darling, what is a 'water snapping thing'?"

"That doesn't matter right now! How're you gonna stop me from saving them both."

"You'll only have time to save one. I never said that they weren't both going to drop." Kodachi pulled out ribbons and clubs. "And I'll be your opponent if you try to break the rules. Only the most skillful and beautiful can fight in all fairness at all times like myself." She twirled the ribbon skillfully and snapped it downward, slicing a deep line into the ground.

Ranma frowned. This wasn't good. If he had to dodge her attacks while rescuing them, there was no way that he would be able to get to them both in time.

"Now decide before time runs out." She pulled out a remote control. Ranma briefly entertained the thought of getting the remote out of her hands, but it was too risky. Though he did wonder where she took the remote out of her leotard. He shook his head. That didn't matter now. Even if the attempt was risky, he had to try. Just as he was about to try, Kodachi interrupted him.

"If I am fighting you, I wonder who will save both of them?" Kodachi smiled, tilting her body slightly as her finger hovered over the button on the remote.

Ranma cursed himself. Was he staring at it too obviously?

Nabiki struggled against her bonds. "Ranma! Save Akane."

"What about you?"

"Don't worry about me, just do it."

"I…I…I just can't."

Akane shook her head. "No, save Nabiki. I can't take care of myself. I'm a martial artist."

Nabiki rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm sure that's the same as an escape artist, Akane."

"This is not the time, Nabiki," Akane said. "Ranma, just save Nabiki! She's your fiancée."

"But what about you?" Ranma asked.

Akane smirked. "I'll be fine. I can handle a crocodile easily." Even though she said this confidently enough, her shaking gave away her fears to Ranma.

"What are you talking about, Akane? You can't swim!" Nabiki bit her lip. "Ranma…if you love me—no, if you even care about me a little bit, then save Akane or I will hate you forever."

"But…but…"

"Nabiki, stop it!" Akane struggled against the rope harder.

"Ranma...please." A single tear dripped down to Nabiki's chin.

Ranma paused for a moment, before nodding hesitantly.

"Thank you, Ranma," Nabiki said, raising her tear-stained face.

"Time's almost up."

Ranma glanced at Kodachi. How did it become this way? He wanted to save both of them, but he knew that if he did, they would both die. Wait, would it really be a big loss if they died? They're part of the Tendo family. They're going to be killed anyways.

Just what the hell was he thinking? Was he really thinking about simply abandoning them? His father molded him, but he didn't want to be that way. It was a martial artist's duty—no, that's wrong; it was his own personal duty to save them both.

"If I become the victim, will you let them go?"

Kodachi blinked in surprise. "Ah, you're truly like a prince, my darling. You have truly touched my heart."

Ranma relaxed.

"But no." She pressed the button on the remote.

The cords that were holding Nabiki and Akane started lowering them down towards the pools below at a rapid pace. How could he have been so stupid? He allowed his guard to fall. Now, there was no more time to spare. He could only save one, but he had promised to rescue Akane. Ranma rushed past Kodachi and jumped over the pool of water, snatching the girl in mid-air just moments before she reached the hole before landing roughly on the other side.

"You weren't supposed to save me." In his arms was Nabiki, who glared at him through tearful eyes.

"I-I…" Ranma didn't know what to say. When he had rushed past Kodachi, he had full intentions to save Akane so why was Nabiki in his arms instead of the younger sister?

"I hate you."

Ranma bit his lip. Even though he didn't want to admit it, Nabiki's words stung him. But he deserved it. He had just condemned her younger sister to death. He turned to face Kodachi…

…and blinked at the sight before him. Akane was hovering above the pool of water. The rope's length had stopped just out of reach of the hole and crocodile.

"Hohohohoho." Kodachi laughed, bringing her fingers to her lips. "You didn't really think I would become a murderer, did you, my prince? It was only just a game."

Before Ranma could retort, Kodachi spun her ribbon around her, summoning a hail of black rose petals. "This was fun, but I have business to attend to. Farewell!" When the winds and black petals finally subsided, she was gone, leaving Ranma and Akane staring in shock.

Hidden from everyone's sight in Ranma's arms, a devious smile graced Nabiki's lips as she wiped away the fake tears.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Mikado Sanzenin was wearing a tuxedo as he entered the park. It was almost midnight, so it was nearly pitch black and there wasn't a soul he could hear nearby. There was only a single tall lamp in the area, but he didn't mind too much. If he was a woman, he would have been much more worried, but since he was a man, there was nothing to worry about, especially with his fighting skills.

He came to stand beneath the lamp's light as he took out the photograph of the woman who was supposed to meet him here. It was an unusual time for a date, but the possibility of being with the beautiful woman in that photo put those suspicions to rest.

It was only five minutes before his date appeared, moving elegantly towards the light. A woman dressed almost completely in black dress, though her pale, porcelain-like skin was still visible even under the black veil she wore. He gasped a little when she finally came under the lamplight. She was certainly a beauty. There were some differences from the photo, but he supposed that was just because of the veil and lack of lighting.

"Were you waiting long?"

Mikado shook his head. "Even if it had been years or decades, the wait would have been worth it for you."

"You're such a smooth talker, aren't you?" The woman dressed in black smiled. "Here, I brought you a bouquet of black roses…"


	3. Chapter 3

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Chapter 3: A Glass of Milk

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Where's Nabiki?" Ranma asked, glancing around the breakfast table.

"She already left," Akane said while scooping up a spoonful of rice from her plate.

Ranma sighed and sat down at the table. Nabiki seemed to still be mad about that Kodachi incident, but that had been a week ago. That was becoming so troublesome to deal with. He turned to Kasumi who stood at the other end of the table where there was a small stack of empty plates. "Hey, Kasumi, can I get some food?"

"Y-Yes!" Kasumi's hand shook as she tried to hand over the plate. Ranma, noticing the shaking, reached his hand out to take the dish, but before he could touch it, the plate slipped out of Kasumi's fingers. The side of the dish cracked against the table while its content spilled over Ranma's shirt and pants.

"Oh my, oh my!" Kasumi quickly bowed repeatedly. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, Kasumi. It's fine, see?" Ranma scooped some of the rice and fish into his hands and dumped them back on the plate. "No harm done."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Kasumi rose abruptly. "I-I'll bring a towel." She rushed out of the room and into the kitchen.

Ranma reached out a hand. "No, wait, it's—" Upon seeing Kasumi disappear, he slowly retracted his hand. "—fine."

Soun smiled meekly. "You will have to forgive Kasumi. She's nervous."

"She's afraid of pop and me?"

"It's…more than that."

"Eh?"

"Kasumi…" Soun stared at his cup of tea solemnly. "…is a shut-in. Ever since my wife died, she's become very afraid that she won't even take a step outside of the house. So please be patient with her."

"What's she afraid of?"

Soun pursed his lips, letting a heavy silence fall on the room.

Genma, who had been concentrated on inhaling his food until now, shoved aside his empty dish and snorted. "Then drag her outside."

Soun's grip tightened on the tea cup while Akane stared at Genma with a mixture of disbelief and anger. Ranma, noticing the tension, quickly tried to defuse it.

"Pop, pop, leave it alone."

Genma ignored him. "Only way for a coward to erase her fears is by facing it head on. Throw her out and lock the door."

Akane growled, slamming her hands on the table, rattling the dishes on top. "Why don't I throw you out?"

Soun held out a hand over the table, in between Akane and Genma. "Akane, that's enough. Saotome, you have been eating food cooked by Kasumi. Please show more appreciation."

"Hmph." Akane slowly backed off. She picked up her dish and started shoveling the food into her mouth angrily. "I'm done! Let's go, Ranma." She slammed the now empty bowl onto the table and rose.

"Wait, I haven't started eating." Ranma's protest went ignored as Akane dragged him by the back of his collar. Peeking out from the safety of the kitchen, Kasumi watched the pair leave. A small amount of relief entered her, but when her eyes fell on Genma, who had spotted her, she began to shiver uncontrollably. She quickly disappeared into the kitchen.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Ranma and Akane walked somewhat leisurely by each other along the sidewalk in the quiet neighborhood. The houses that they passed by were mostly traditional in their design, though they were well-maintained. It was a bright and sunny weekday morning so he wasn't surprised at all to see quite a few people outside. Elderly citizens tended to gardens and a couple groups of elementary school children passed by them in the opposite direction, chattering loudly all the while. A couple of cars passed by, but generally, he didn't see many businessmen walking or driving passed this area. Yet, despite this rather normal atmosphere, the tension and anger that radiated from Akane made more than a few passersby stop and stare.

"You okay, Akane?"

"I'm fine." Even though Akane said that, her expression didn't change in the slightest.

"You think Nabiki is still mad?"

Akane rolled her eyes. "Isn't it obvious?"

"But it's been a week."

"She has held grudges for longer."

Ranma scratched his head. "So what do I do then? Waiting's not working."

"Give her some more time."

"Akane, can't I do something else? I can't stand waiting."

Akane sighed. "I guess it's partly my fault since you did listen to me and save her at Kuno's mansion." She crossed her arms as she walked, tapping a finger on her bicep. "What about just talking to her?"

"But she's avoiding me."

"Then do it when she can't avoid you…like at school."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

For Nabiki, she had always been an attentive student. Even though she made sure to study thoroughly beforehand, there were tidbits of new information that you could also get out of the lectures which sometimes can mean a difference on tests. However, today, she was in no mood to listen the droning of her teacher. In fact, she hadn't been in any condition to listen for almost the entire week. Instead, she had slept through her classes. Even when she spoke in her sleep, the teachers made sure to ignore it. They didn't want to deal with her, especially with her reputation and rumors about what had happened to another teacher that had troubled the girl. However, Nabiki's nap during class time was interrupted by an incessant shaking from someone that didn't seem to fear those rumors.

"What?" Nabiki said in an annoyed tone as she groggily raised her head. Standing before was a girl with her black hair tied into a long ponytail behind her. It took her a moment before she recognized the girl as one of her underlings.

"Sorry to wake you, Nabiki-senpai, but there is a boy outside the class asking for you."

"Is his hair tied into a pigtail?"

"Yes." the girl raised an eyebrow as she stared curiously at Nabiki.

"Is he wearing a red shirt and black pants?"

"Yes."

"Then tell him to go away."

The dark-haired girl slowly nodded. "If you say so, Nabiki-senpai."

Nabiki's head fell back into his arms as she closed her eyes once again.

The girl walked away, but not before casting a worried glance back at the slumbering Tendo. She made her way outside of the classroom to a waiting Ranma.

"So what did she say?" Ranma asked impatiently.

"She doesn't want to speak to you."

"Well, tell her that I really, really need to talk to her."

"Nabiki has been sleeping in class the last several days. She never does that." The girl glared at Ranma. "Was it because of you?"

"I, uh." Ranma scratched the back of his head. "I guess?"

The girl glared at Ranma. "Then a nobody like you should just leave."

"Hey! I'm no nobody."

"Huh? You're still here? Leave. You're not important."

Ranma fumed. "Yeah? Well, I am important."

The girl rolled her eyes. "As if."

"It's true!"

"Go away." The girl turned away to re-enter the classroom.

"Well, I'm her fiancé," Ranma said, puffing up his chest.

As if a dam burst, the entire class shouted in surprise, opening up the windows and crowding at the doorway to see what Ranma looked like.

"Ah." Ranma nervously took a step back before the crowd launched a barrage of questions at him. "That is—I mean—that's not what I meant!"

"Then what did you mean?" The entire class quieted down when they saw who it was that spoke. Nabiki stood in the doorway.

"Nabiki! I wanted to talk to you."

Nabiki walked up to Ranma and glared into his eyes. "A fine way to do that, Saotome. You might as well shout it to the whole world."

Ranma almost backed down, but he had quickly caught himself. Instead, he tried to glare back feebly. "It's not like you told me to keep it a secret."

"I thought you would be smart enough to know." Nabiki pressed a finger against Ranma's forehead and pushed him back. "Leave me alone, Ranma."

"Wait, I still need to talk to you."

"But I don't want to talk to you."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Ranma's head banged against his desk, denting the surface. In the doorway to his classroom, a crowd of students were piled outside, trying to sneak a peek at the boy who was engaged to Nabiki Tendo.

"Serves you right." Akane crossed her arms. "I can't believe you shouted that out. If I was her, I would be too embarrassed to come to school."

"But it was an accident."

"Doesn't matter, stupid." Akane sighed. "She's probably really angry now."

"What if I let her lay one on me?"

"What?"

"I mean, what if I let her hit me?"

Akane shook her head. "Nabiki doesn't fight."

"But she can still hit me, right?"

"It won't work. Think of something else."

"This is so hard." Ranma raised his head and banged it against the desk again.

"It won't be if you keep doing that." Akane pointed to the dents on the desk. "It's practically breaking apart."

"I'm not talking 'bout the desk."

"Just try talking to her again tomorrow."

Ranma sighed harder. Why was everything going so wrong?

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Ranma and Akane waited outside at the school gate as the sun began to give off a darker orange light. There were barely any students now leaving the school.

"She's not coming out, Ranma. We should go."

"I'll wait."

"You have been doing this every day, but I don't think she will come out as long as you're here."

"Then what am I supposed to do?"

"Just go home, Ranma. The sooner you leave, the sooner Nabiki can come home."

Ranma's shoulders slumped a bit. "I guess you're right."

Akane's gaze softened at the sight. "Cheer up. I'm actually on my way to Dr. Tofu's clinic to drop off some books. You might as well come along and meet him."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Nabiki-senpai, wake up," the dark-haired girl said as she shook Nabiki's shoulder.

Nabiki yawned. "What is it?"

"He's gone."

"Ranma?"

"Yes."

Nabiki slowly rose from her seat and stretched out her arms to the side. "It's time to go home then."

The dark-haired girl looked a bit worried before she finally spoke, "Nabiki-senpai, I really think you should forgive him. He is your fiancé."

Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "Who said I was angry with him in the first place?"

"Then why are you avoiding him?"

Nabiki waved it off. "Don't worry about it. Anyways, I'm leaving. I'll see you tomorrow."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

It was a full moon tonight. Nabiki sat on the tree branch in the yard, staring into the window of the guest room where Ranma and Genma were slumbering peacefully, albeit loudly with Genma's snoring. Thankfully, like every other night of the week when she had been spying on them, they had left their curtains open. The key to winning this battle is information. So the more that she knows about Ranma, the more she could manipulate him. Which was why she was sitting here, braving the cold in a thick sweater that seemed wholly insufficient against the windy chill.

"Ah-choo!" Nabiki rubbed her irritated nose on her sleeve. While she had kept her ki signature hidden, she didn't really think that she would mind if she was actually caught. She would just say that she couldn't sleep and wanted to get some fresh air. In fact, she almost wished that they catch her so that she could at least go inside the house. Not that anything was really stopping her from going in except her own stubbornness. She wasn't ready to break her own plan at this point.

Nabiki blinked when she saw Ranma start moving erratically in his sleep. This was what she was waiting for the last few days. She found out that occasionally, the pigtailed boy would start to move around in his sleep, as if he was having a nightmare. The occurrences were sporadic, but her wait had paid off.

It was time to set the plan in motion. She hugged the trunk and reached her foot downward to blindly search for well-used crevices in the tree. Finding the footholds, she slowly made her way down.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Listen up, boy. Identification is important."

"I don't wanna do this." A very young Ranma shook as he held the hammer in his hand. At his feet was the corpse of a young girl with her face covered by a simple napkin. However, the covering was more for his benefit than anything else.

"The first step to getting caught is having the body found. I have already demonstrated the proper technique several times for you." Genma swept his hand toward the other side of the room. In the corner was a pile of dead bodies, but they couldn't be called that anymore. These adults that had once given him candy and snacks had been turned into grotesque mounds of flesh and bone, indistinguishable from one another.

Ranma's teeth chattered against his will. It was like looking into the window of a butcher shop, except it was so dark and rancid. Yet he could see as if there was still daylight and smell her scent. The smell of grass, but it wasn't freshly cut like before; it was dry. So very dry. Too dry. Much too dry. Why was it so dry?

"Begin."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Ranma, wake up. Ranma," Nabiki said as she shook the slumbering martial artist.

Ranma's eyes snapped opened, his hand grabbing Nabiki's wrist.

"Ranma. Ranma. You're okay. Everything is fine." Nabiki placed her other hand over his.

"It's too dry."

"What is?"

Ranma didn't respond. He tightened his hold.

"Ranma, you're hurting me."

Ranma blinked. "N-Nabiki?" He quickly relaxed his grip. "What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't sleep so I was going to pour myself a glass of milk, but when I went past your room, I heard your voice. You were having a nightmare."

"Sorry 'bout this," Ranma said, scratching the back of his head.

"Don't worry about it. I'm glad you're okay."

"Thanks, Nabiki." Ranma smirked. "At least, you're talking to me now."

Nabiki smirked back. "I guess I am."

The smile disappeared from Ranma's lips as he tried to say something, but no words came out.

"Having trouble there?"

Ranma gripped his bed sheet tightly as he spoke in a whisper, "Sorry 'bout before."

"Hm? Was that the wind?"

An agitated look appeared on Ranma's face. "Hey, I'm not gonna say it again."

Nabiki giggled. "I heard the first time."

Ranma stared blankly at her. "What?" Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "You like what you see?"

"It's just…"

"Just what?"

"It's the first time that I heard you laugh."

Nabiki blinked, but a smile soon came onto her face. "We have only known each other for about a week so that's not surprising."

"Well, it's just that it's…" Ranma blushed and looked away.

"Oh come on. You're not going to make me have to ask every time you stop mid-sentence, are you?"

"It's cute."

Nabiki blushed. She quickly looked downward and played with her fingers.

"That's…That's just a compliment, okay? It's not like I love yah or anything." Ranma closed his eyes and internally groaned. Him and his big mouth.

Nabiki scratched at the side of her neck and looked more downward. "I know."

Ranma, noticing her expression, felt much more nervous. "Well, it doesn't mean, I can't come to love you."

"Thanks," Nabiki said, though it lacked the enthusiasm of before.

The two settled into an awkward and uncomfortable silence.

Minutes seemed to pass before Nabiki finally broke the quiet. "Well, I should get back to bed."

"Ah, yeah, that's right. Wait, weren't you going to go drink milk first?"

"Oh! I suppose I'll go do that. Have a good night, Ranma." Nabiki stood up and walked out the sliding door, making sure to close it quietly behind her.

"You too," Ranma said to the empty air before him. He fell backwards onto the futon roughly, feeling that he had messed things up even worse than before. Well, there's nothing he could do. He resolved to just fall asleep. However, after a few minutes of fidgeting and rolling around on his futon, he threw up his hands in exasperation."I give up."

Ranma bounced up to his feet and walked out of the room.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Nabiki took out a glass cup from the cabinet and poured milk from a carton into it. She was about to take a sip when she heard the sound of footsteps. There was no need to look up to know who it was.

"Hey, Nabiki. About what I said—"

She held up her hand, stopping him mid-sentence. "I know. I'll forgive you…in exchange for some favors."

"Okay." How hard could a few favors be?

Nabiki smiled. "Do you want a glass of milk?"

Ranma looked as if he wanted to say something more, but he relented. "Sure."

"Here." Nabiki held out the glass of milk she was going to drink just before he came in.

"But weren't you drinking that?"

"Yes, but that shouldn't matter."

"But wouldn't that be an indirect…an indirect—"

"Kiss?"

Ranma blushed. "Yeah."

"I don't mind so take it." Nabiki smiled mischievously and raised the glass higher. In truth, she hadn't actually taken a sip before Ranma came, but he didn't need to know that.

Seeing no way out of this, Ranma slowly took the glass and stared at it.

Nabiki took out another glass and poured milk into it. "You better drink that up before it stales. Milk costs money, you know."

"I will…"

Nabiki smiled and took a sip of her drink. After a few more moments, Ranma finally brought the glass to his lips. After taking a few sips, he lowered the half empty cup as normally as he could, though his face was sporting a heavy blush. Eventually, a comfortable silence settled between the two milk drinkers as the night carried on.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

On a rural countryside along the coastline of China, two individuals were standing at a crossroad on a dirt path. All around them was farmland, but they didn't seem to take notice at all.

Shampoo tugged on the rope tied around her waist. "Husband, hurry."

On the other end of the rope, Ryoga had it similarly tied around his waist though his knot seemed far tighter than hers. "But Japan is this way."

Shampoo groaned. "Follow, follow."

She tugged once more on the rope. What did she do to deserve such a directionless husband?

"It's not this way?"

"No!"

Ryoga scratched his head. "Ah."

"We hurry or red-haired girl escape, yes?"

"Well, about that," Ryoga said nervously. "Can't we just let her go? Killing a girl is kinda bad."

"Husband…" Shampoo walked over and placed her palms on his cheeks. Before he could react, she pressed her lips to his and slipped in her tongue.

By the time that Shampoo pulled back, Ryoga was blushing furiously as a drop of blood leaked out of his nose.

"No," Shampoo said plainly and bluntly before she turned around and started walking in the direction of Japan.

"W-W-Wh-Wh." Ryoga followed behind her with dazed eyes.

While this was only a temporary solution, Shampoo knew from experience that this will at least shut him up for a few hours. Or at least until they could find a boat to Japan. This time, there would be no escape for the red-haired girl.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

A/N: Sorry that it took so long to come out with another chapter. A bunch of video game related distractions occurred and I also had started two other stories for other anime sections. Still, that really doesn't excuse me for taking so long. All I can say is that I'll try to be better next time.


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